WAUKESHA – GE Healthcare was already committed to hiring candidates with a military background. But that wasn't enough. The company wanted to do more.

So on Tuesday, GE Healthcare joined a U.S. Army program.

GE Healthcare became the 15th company in Wisconsin to join the Army's Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program.

The PaYS program is a unique opportunity for the Army, GE Healthcare and transitioning soldiers, said Lt. Col. Frank O'Donnell, commander of the Milwaukee Army Recruiting Battalion.

PaYS is meant to align soldiers with jobs at companies after their service has been completed and they have been honorably discharged. In exchange, the companies get workers who are disciplined, have a good work ethic and know how to work as a team, O'Donnell said.

Mike Power, U.S. talent and acquisition leader for GE Healthcare, said the company feels it has an obligation to help soldiers transition back into the civilian workforce and an obligation to provide them with meaningful work.

But, Mr. Power said, "I believe we have more work to be done."

He hopes PaYS will help identify skills that align the company with what the soldiers are learning in the service.

It has been GE Healthcare's goal to hire about 100 people with military backgrounds each year, according to Vue Yang, GE Healthcare technical recruiter. Last year, the company exceeded its goal by hiring about 130 such candidates.

The company has hired soldiers for positions such as biotech technicians, software engineers and field service engineers, Yang said. And GE Healthcare hopes to utilize PaYS to see if there are other jobs at the company that soldiers could apply for.

The goal with PaYS is to get in touch with potential candidates and build a relationship with them while they are completing their Army service, Yang said. When they come out, they'll be prepared to work and GE Healthcare will have a job waiting for them.

Nationwide, more than 460 corporations, companies and public sector agencies participate in PaYS, said spokesman Pat Adelmann of the Milwaukee Army Recruiting Battalion. Schneider National in Green Bay was the first Wisconsin company to join PaYS in 2000.

Soldiers register with companies at the time of enlistment, and then receive training during their two-to six- year Army service to learn skills or earn certifications that match the company's needs. If the job requires the completion of college courses, the Army will pay $3,500 a year to assist with tuition, Adelmann said. The program guarantees an honorably discharged soldier will receive an interview at the company, but it does not guarantee a job, Adelmann noted.

LIVONIA, Mich. – Livonia-based Roush Industries, Inc., is partnering with the U.S. Army’s Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program to provide soldiers an opportunity to pursue job openings with the firm after they complete military service.

“This strategic partnership connects Roush with one of the largest recruiting organizations in the world, providing immediate access to a database that matches job openings to soldiers who have acquired the requisite skills through their Army training” LTC Blankenhorn told the Community Advisory Board members.

“We view this as a win-win opportunity,” said Roush Vice President Steve Sciatto. “The program gives the Army an additional recruiting incentive by demonstrating that the skills soldiers acquire are transferable, while Roush benefits from access to an extremely well-trained work force that has exhibited the highest standards of leadership and integrity. This agreement to recruit Army soldiers connects to our corporate culture, and we are confident that a U.S. Army trained soldier would be an asset to any company or organization.”

The signing ceremony held on Friday, March 1, 2013, in Detroit MI included LTC John Blankenhorn, Commander, Great Lakes Army Recruiting Battalion and Mr. Paul Desander, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Ambassador, was included as part of the March Community Advisory Board Meeting.

Roush Industries, Inc. is a full-service product development supplier headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with over 3,000 employees in facilities located throughout North America. Widely recognized for providing engineering, testing, prototype, and manufacturing services to the transportation industry, they also provide significant support to the life science, aerospace, defense, and theme park industries.

Photo left -
Board Members observed the Signing Ceremony.

Corpus Christi Police Department Partners with Army to Find New Applicants

Partnership Luncheon with
US Army PaYS Representative and BBVA Compass Bank

On Wednesday, 20 Feb 2013, MAJ Ladson met with Mr Joe Bray, President BBVA Compass Bank and Mr. Ted Groholske, PaYS Program Southwest Marketing and Training Analyst, to discuss the pending PaYS Partnership between BBVA Compass Bank and the US Army. Mr Bray as well as the corporate representatives from BBVA are all excited about the opportunity to provide potential employment opportunities for veterans as they separate from the US Army. Mr Groholske outlined the benefits of the program, provided insight on opportunities it has provided for countless veterans as well as local and national PaYS Partners. We are all hopeful that the agreement can be processed and formally signed in the weeks ahead.

PaYS Partners Front and Center at Veteran Job Fair

LOUISVILLE, KY. -- Two activities took place on the local job front on Thursday. One was helping local veterans find jobs. The other was a company in Bullitt County looking to hire.

Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer was in Louisville to help veterans like himself get back into the civilian workforce. "I want to use the platform I have," Meyer told WDRB News. "I want to go out and help these veterans and help them get jobs and try to make a difference."

Meyer was at the job fair for veterans who are having a difficult time transferring from military life to find a job in the civilian world.

He is working for "Hiring for Heroes." It is a program sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Toyota to help vets like Jeff Tidwell of Louisville, a Navy veteran. "It is pretty challenging with all of the college graduates coming out into the workforce," says Tidwell. "For me, I am 35 years old so I am trying to get out there, but the job market is pretty challenging."

"Hiring our Heroes" teaches former service members the importance of what is called personal branding and how to successfully transfer their military skills to future civilian jobs.

"With the personal branding initiative, just like me being a sniper in the Marine Corps," explains Meyer. "There are not too many job openings for snipers, so with me they would advise me to where I could translate those skills to communication skills, accountability, and being prompt."

Over 70 unemployed veterans attended a two-day workshop. Larry Oberlitner, LVER, Workforce Development Consultant gave instruction on resume writing, and interviewing techniques.The latest numbers of the economy indicate it is improving for those looking for work but still has a long way to go.

Metro Louisville's latest unemployment rate is now at 7.8 percent, down from a peak of 10.6 percent in December of 2009.

Photo right - Louisville Veteran Job Fair

Companies like Amazon-Zappos in Bullitt County say business is better from a year ago so they are currently hiring 800 temporary workers.

"These are temporary positions," says David Rock of Kelly Services, "they are full time so it is at least 40 hours and it is through this candidate pool that Amazon will hire full time.

The problem for veterans is that there are still not enough well paying jobs for them to support their families.

469 - Shearer's Foods, Inc. - Cleveland Bn -Shearer's Foods, Inc. is located between Cleveland and Amish Country in Brewster, Ohio. They manufacture and distribute a family of brands such as Shearer's® Potato Chips, Pretzels, Pork Rinds, Salsa Con Queso, Tangos Tortilla Chips and whole grain brown Rice Crisps. They manufacture, warehouse, and distribute all of their own snacks. They are offering career opportunities for PaYS Soldiers in maintenance electricians, packaging associates & operators, truck drivers, processors, and supply clerks.

470 - Coast to Coast Computer Products, Inc. - Fresno Bn - Coast to Coast Computer Products, Inc. is a one stop shop for all computer supply needs. Founded in 1985, they have experienced continued growth. They are seeking and will forecast positions in sales, computer support, and customer service. This company is a good fit for the Fresno Battalion Grassroots and COI Programs. They are located in an area with no Army presence.

First Lady Presses Governors on Veterans' Jobs

By Julie Pace, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama challenged governors to make it easier for military personnel to transfer their skills to civilian jobs as they return home from Afghanistan and other far-flung posts.

"While this time of war may be ending, the truth is our responsibility to our troops and their families will really just be ramping up," Mrs. Obama told governors during an event at the White House.

Mrs. Obama pressed states to pass legislation or take executive action by 2015 allowing veterans to receive professional credentials or licenses based on their experiences in the military. Administration officials said that would allow veterans to apply for jobs more quickly rather than having to take courses for skills they already have.

The nation's governors are in Washington for their annual meeting.

The veterans' initiatives are part of Mrs. Obama's "Joining Forces" program, which aims to help veterans and their families. The program has focused in particular on assisting military personnel find civilian jobs, an effort that is expected to take on more urgency as the Afghan war comes to a close by the end of next year.

Mrs. Obama said 1 million military personnel will be transitioning back to civilian life over the next few years.

The first lady wants states to focus in particular on making it easier for veterans to obtain credentials and licenses for commercial driving, nursing, and emergency medical services, administration officials said. The White House has outlined suggested legislative language states can use for implementing the changes.

Officials did not have an estimate for how much it would cost states to implement the credentialing programs. But they suggested the programs could eventually be a cost-saver by keeping veterans off unemployment.

Mrs. Obama has previously called on states to help military spouses transfer their state-specific credentials when their families move due to changes in deployment. Seventeen states have passed such legislation over the past year, joining 11 states that already had laws on the books.

Social Media- Getting the Most out of Marketing to a Social World

-Shae WarzochaSenior Marketing Analyst, Army Partnership for Youth Success Program

As the Senior Marketing Analyst I recognize the value and power of the emerging Social Media world. I naively thought hiring a Marketing Coordinator to oversee our efforts was enough. Facebook Friends doubled and our online voice grew stronger, but the truth is we could do more. The logical course of action was to enroll in a Social Media Class. With management support, the Marketing Coordinator and I headed to an all day five class conference. I was pleased to learn that we were actually engaged in the significant Social Media tools; however, I quickly learned we were not using each tool sufficiently.

The first hour we learned to re-think the definition of Social Media. Social Media is not about technology; Social Media is about relationships. Over 50% of the world's population is under 30 years old and old ways of marketing to them do not work. Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the U.S. and what happens in Vegas stays on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook etc. Kindergartens are learning on iPads not on chalkboards. If Facebook were a country its population would be the world's 3rd largest country. Of the companies who use Social Media for recruitment, 95% use LinkedIn with a new member joining every second.

I started to realize the power of Social Media when we watched a YouTube video of a happy customer and a video of an unhappy customer. You can't ignore a medium with tens of millions of hits per video or underestimate the power of the potential to alienate or energize customers. The Ford Explorer launch of Facebook generated more traffic than a Super Bowl advertisement slot and for pennies on the dollar. Generation Y and Z consider e-mail passé. Some universities have stopped distributing e-mail accounts. Book sales lost to eReaders. YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world with 24 hours of video added every minute. If Wikipedia became a book it would be 2.25 million pages long and take 123 years to read. Almost 35% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands. Do you know what is being said about your brand? More than ever before word of mouth is important. 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations while only 14% trust advertisements.

"We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it" according to Erik Qualman responsible for the 4 minute Socialnomics video. (Source data: http://www.socialnomics.net/ world's most watched social media series by Erik Qualman. The 4 minute version can also be found on YouTube.)

So now Social Media has my attention. The class then reviewed the basic tools available.

Facebook is today's largest social network and it continues to push the envelope by partnering with third-party developers to create tools that enhance its marketing capabilities. Pagemodo, allows you to customize the design of your Facebook page. Wildfire, enables you to create promotions, contests and coupons, but it's not free. Social plugins encourage social engagement from your own corporate web site using "likes" and recommendations and other widgets to connect back to Facebook.

Twitter is used by famous movie stars but a business will benefit from it just as easily. For example Twitter allows you to casually communicate with customers on their terms, resulting in affable relationships, which is difficult for companies to achieve with other media. Marketers can use the platform to share content and links, sending traffic back to their website, Facebook, or blog. It's a great way to track industry buzz, network and engage, provide customer support and position branding. Over 25% of all users would consider contacting a business through Twitter, According to mediabistro.com, a quarter currently connect with brands on Twitter and with over 100 million active users worldwide this is a huge marketing opportunity. Twit poll engages customers asking for feedback on various topics. Tweet Chat uses the hashtags (#) allowing you to follow a Twitter chat. GroupTweet allows a private group to receive one tweet.

LinkedIn offers a variety of built-in options including Outlook and Google toolbar widgets and your personalized e-mail signature. Contacts Management allows you to import your contact list information and coordinated mass mailings to your LinkedIn network. Premium LinkedIn tools will cost you a monthly fee but will deliver accurate contact information and advanced group access. LinkedIn is the business equivalent of Facebook's social power. The internal power of being LinkedIn comes from word of mouth recommendations and conversations generating buzz about you or your topic. It is an effective way to keep in touch with your network of clients or potential clients. Conversations result in business professionals offering their advice and answering questions. The Product and Services tab allows you to highlight your products and or services with banners that can link to your URL of choice.

YouTube maybe known for videos of cute pets and babies but it is the emerging wave of business strategy. Creating a YouTube channel URL for your business you can share your brand and add your channel URL to marketing collateral and social network profiles. Imagine the value of a customer testimonial or interview with one of your expert employees being accessible on YouTube. A YouTube video can provide solutions to product issues, service problems or to show a work in progress project informing customers of updates and best practices.

Blogging is a web site that delivers content in an easy access conversational approach. Blogging should be included in any social media marketing strategy because they are simple to create, and allow readers to interact by adding comments and content. Blogs lend themselves to storytelling instead of hard traditional messaged sales. Search engines love blogs and are a favorite of the frequent keyword-rich method used by search engine ranking. Readers are automatically notified when new content is added- effortless delivery.

With any new industry there are many ways to do it wrong and Social Media is no exception. When used properly, social media can be an efficient and effective approach to increasing revenues and expanding business opportunities. Using it incorrectly or without a strategy and plan, Social Media can waste your time and more importantly waste the one chance you may have with your potential customers. In the class we looked closely at the failures of others and like other methods of marketing the same mistakes apply. Mistakes like, failing to identify who your audience is and providing the wrong message. Not assigning ownership and providing censorship is one of the most common mistakes: starting a site and letting it go unattended is worse than not being represented. Providing too much information for the type of media is another common mistake. Twitter is not the method to provide in-depth product information.

Campaigns fail when there are no clear objectives. Identifying your target market and providing the right message in the correct Social Media outlet is essential to exploiting these tools. Understanding how often to use each media is another beneficial strategy. Blogging once a week is enough while Facebook should receive fresh content three to five times a week, Twitter should be content driven and updates as often as you have something of value. An email subject line determines if it will be part of the 20% opened or 80% ignored statistic. The pace of new Social Media technology is equivalent to dissolving traditional marketing practices. This means we have to do business differently today and with the emerging power of Social Media we will be doing business differently tomorrow.

*Source - SkillPath Seminars –Social Media Marketing

2013 National Hot Rod Association Season Underway

Since the 2000 U.S. Nationals, the U.S. Army colors have adorned the Top Fuel dragster of Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher. A seven-time world champion, Schumacher holds numerous NHRA records including the national elapsed-time record and national speed record for both the quarter-mile and 1,000-foot distance.

In 2013, the Army Racing family will again be comprised of Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown with his Matco Tools dragster. Together, they are focused on being the best in the Top Fuel Class and proudly race in honor of the more than one million Army Strong Soldiers around the world.

Tony Schumacher and the US Army dragster opened the 2013 NHRA season with a 2nd place finish at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona 17 February.

NHRA's Youth & Education Services (Y.E.S.) Program

Presented by the U.S. Army, the NHRA's Youth & Education Services (Y.E.S.) program is motorsports' first and only full-time event dedicated to educational programming. The program is presented on track grounds during select NHRA events and provides high school and college-aged students with real world lessons about career options and positive goal-setting.

Students participate in a compelling and informational session led by NHRA drivers, including U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher, other NHRA Representatives, U.S. Army Soldiers and occasionally featuring our very own PaYS representatives. Participants can also visit the U.S. Army's Strength in Action Zone, an experience that explores the elements that give U.S. Army Soldiers strength like no other with a variety of fully-interactive fitness, educational, and other technical components.

In 2013, the NHRA's Y.E.S. program will celebrate its 24th year of empowering young people with information about career choices and reaching their goals. With the help of the U.S. Army, the program continues to reach over 25,000 students a year nationwide. Below is a list of upcoming NHRA races with Y.E.S. programs scheduled. If you would like to attend as a guest speaker along with Tony Schumacher contact the PaYS Marketing Coordinator at usarmy.knox.hqda-asa-mra.mbx.payscoordinator@mail.mil.

Facebook

Take advantage of our over 6,000 facebook fans and let us post your current openings. Several partners are having success advertising on our facebook and receiving contact from Soldiers and their friends. If your employer restricts internet usage or does not have a facebook page send us your current positions and we will post them on our page.

We are always looking for content for both our newsletter and facebook page. Send content to the PaysCoordinator or your PaYS Marketing Analyst.

ACAP Job Fairs

PaYS Program on Twitter

As the Army PaYS Social Media Division continues to ascend, in the hopes of bringing better awareness of the Army PaYS Program to a larger social media audience the program initiated a Twitter account. The Army PaYS Facebook Page has seen tremendous growth and outreach in the past year with over 6,000 fans. We are hoping for a similar response to our Twitter account, a consistent following. The Army PaYS Facebook page remains the premier outlet for recruiters to inform their Soldiers about how the program works, and to highlight the kind of interaction we maintain with our Partners. However, with a venue such as Twitter a new, yet similar and diverse audience, should respond well to the program! Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArmyPaYS !